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George H. Eldridge
|died= |placeofbirth= Sackets Harbor, New York, United States |placeofdeath=Los Angeles, California |placeofburial=Los Angeles National Cemetery |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption= |nickname= |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch= United States Army Union Army |serviceyears=c. 1861–1871 |rank=Sergeant |commands= |unit=6th U.S. Cavalry 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry |battles=American Civil War Indian Wars Texas–Indian Wars |awards=Medal of Honor |laterwork= }} George H. Eldridge (May 12, 1844 – November 20, 1918) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War and the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Texas–Indian Wars. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry fighting the Kiowa Indians and Chief Kicking Bird at the Battle of the Little Wichita River on July 12, 1870. Biography George H. Eldridge was born in Sackets Harbor, New York on May 12, 1844. He later moved to Michigan where, at the start of the American Civil War, he joined the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry which along with the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry regiments, would form the "Iron Brigade" of the Army of the Potomac. Eldridge returned to military service years later when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Detroit and was assigned to the 6th U.S. Cavalry. He took part in campaigns against the Plains Indians during the Texas-Indian Wars, most notably, against the Kiowa in the late-1860s. On July 6, 1870, he was among the cavalrymen under Captain Curwen B. McClelland who left Fort Richardson (near Jacksboro, Texas) to pursue renegade Indians who had seized mail from nearby Rock Station. After a 5-day chase, McClelland's force was ambushed at Wichita River by a force of 250 warriors under Chief Kicking Bird resulting in the Battle of the Little Wichita River. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the cavalry troopers managed to force the Kiowas to retreat after heavy fighting. After returning to Fort Richardson, Eldridge and 12 other soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action" on August 25, 1870.Beyer, Walter F. and Oscar Frederick Keydel, ed. Deeds of Valor: From Records in the Archives of the United States Government; how American Heroes Won the Medal of Honor; History of Our Recent Wars and Explorations, from Personal Reminiscences and Records of Officers and Enlisted Men who Were Rewarded by Congress for Most Conspicuous Acts of Bravery on the Battle-field, on the High Seas and in Arctic Explorations. Vol. 2. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel Company, 1906. (pg. 159)Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (pg. 281)Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 267, 396) ISBN 0-922564-00-0O'Neal, Bill. Fighting Men of the Indian Wars: A Biographical Encyclopedia of the Mountain Men, Soldiers, Cowboys, and Pioneers Who Took Up Arms During America's Westward Expansion. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Barbed Wire Press, 1991. (pg. 27) ISBN 0-935-26907-XHolt, Dean W. American Military Cemeteries: A Comprehensive Illustrated Guide to the Hallowed Grounds of the United States, including Cemeteries Overseas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1992. (pg. 236) ISBN 0-89950-666-6Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 159) ISBN 1-59416-016-3Nunnally, Michael L. American Indian Wars: A Chronology of Confrontations Between Native Peoples and Settlers and the United States Military, 1500s-1901. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2007. (pg. 125) ISBN 0-7864-2936-4 He died in Los Angeles, California on May 31, 1918, and interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Wichita River, Tex., 12 July 1870. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Sacketts Harbor, N.Y. Date of issue: 25 August 1870. Citation: Gallantry in action. See also *List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars References Further reading * *Konstantin, Phil. This Day in North American Indian History: Important Dates in the History of North America's Native Peoples for Every Calendar Day. New York: Da Capo Press, 2002. ISBN 0-306-81170-7 *Neal, Charles M. Valor Across the Lone Star: The Congressional Medal of Honor in Frontier Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003. ISBN 0-87611-184-3 External links * Retrieved on June 24, 2010 Category:1844 births Category:1918 deaths Category:Union Army soldiers Category:American military personnel of the Indian Wars Category:Army Medal of Honor recipients Category:People from New York Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:United States Army soldiers Category:People of Upstate New York